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Tuesday, October 27, 2015

I'm not quite sure that there is much more I need in life besides bread. I don't discriminate...white bread, wheat bread, cinnamon raisin bread, especially garlic bread...they're all fine by me. I'm sure that you probably feel the same. If you don't, then either your diet is extremely unfortunate, or you haven't been to Breadsmith in Lakewood yet. This awesome locally-owned bakery makes some of the best loafs I've ever had!

Friday, October 23, 2015

Even though people will tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, they're wrong. At least on Saturdays and Sundays, when it's all about the art of the brunch.

In my crazy mind, breakfast is about getting that perfect low-calorie balance of fruits, veggies, whole grains and protein. Boring. But brunch is a whole different animal! It has to be slightly greasy, because it's a weekend, treat yo self! It also has to be super flavorful because brunches at restaurants are always delicious and, let's face it, easier than making all of this at home. And most importantly, the meal must be enticing to people who rolled out of bed at 7am for morning yoga and people who are going back to bed after this meal because they closed down the bars last night. Tough crowd!

One of the most perfect brunch recipes that I can think of is my Pancetta Quiche with Caramelized Peppers and Onions. This savory, cheesy, melt-in-your-mouth quiche is easy to prepare thanks to this awesome thing called refrigerated pie crust, but has a sophisticated flair from the sweet and crunchy Pancetta. Brunch game strong!

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

If you're cool like me a.k.a. a 90's baby, there's no doubt in my mind that chicken tenders were in your top 5 favorite foods growing up. Probably alongside pizza, hamburgers, french fries and mac & cheese, am I right?? Okay Howie, I believe chicken fingers is the correct terminology in Buffalo. I just got major girlfriend points for that.

Anyway, sometimes I still want my childhood classics, except with the flavor turned up. And not out of a frozen bag. And minus the whole deep frying part that adds loads of fat and calories. That's where Sticky Asian Chicken Tenders come in. I bread chicken tenderloins in panko bread crumbs, bake them with a drizzle of olive oil to add that unmistakable crunch, and then toss them in Ree Drummond's Orange Chicken Sauce and top them with chopped green onions and peanuts. A little sweet, a little tangy, a little crunchy...a little perfect!

Thursday, October 15, 2015

In case you've been hiding under a rock for the past week, it's Cleveland Beer Week. That's right, it's the magical 10 days of the year when Cleveland restaurants have "brewery takeover" nights, which basically equates to meet and greets with Brew Masters from your favorite breweries, free glasses almost anywhere you order a pint and super-delicious small batch beers, some of which are brewed exclusively for Cleveland Beer Week! I've been to a few of the events, mostly because I love collecting different pint glasses..."collecting" meaning I'm 25 years old and really need to build my dishware collection...

But the food's great, the people are great and the beer's especially great. So what are you waiting for? Be sure to check out the Cleveland Beer Week Events page on their website to see what's happening tonight...and tomorrow...and Saturday and Sunday too, of course! And if you have a chance to sample the Fathead's Jungle Juice Head Hunter IPA like we did last night at Forage Public House, I strongly encourage it!

Sunday, October 4, 2015

Howie left me alone in Cleveland this weekend to go to the Bills vs. Giants game...which means I finally have a Sunday that doesn't involve football! Not that I don't enjoy football or anything, but it's about time I get caught up with my "life" things a.k.a. decorate my porch and fireplace mantel for fall, make Slow Cooker Garlic Rosemary Beef Stew and bake the all important Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Sugar Glaze. Let me tell you, these suckers are addicting! Like so addicting that I'm actually going on a run right now before dinner because I ate three in the last 2 hours. And I'm probably going to have three more tonight. And I actually don't even feel that bad about it because I'm just being seasonal. Oh gosh you have to try these perfect fall cookies!